ADELAIDE, (Reuters) – Australia were on the brink of
a crushing series sweep after reducing India to 166 for six in
their pursuit of 500 runs for an unlikely victory at the close
of play on the fourth day of the fourth test today.
The hosts declared at 167-5 shortly after lunch on another
sweltering day at the Adelaide Oval and that tally, added to
their 604-7 declared, put them 499 runs ahead of India’s first
attempt of 272.
Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin
Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Virat Kohli all crumbled once again
before the Australian attack to leave the tourists 333 runs
behind with a full day remaining.
“The job’s not done yet,” said Australian spinner Nathan
Lyon, who took 3-57. “We’ve got another four wickets to get and
we’ll have to turn up tomorrow and be on our game and hopefully
get these four wickets.”
Ishant Sharma, who came in as a nightwatchman and had scored
two, and Wriddhiman Saha, yet to score, will resume on the final
day of the match.
“I thought before the game that the wicket looked a little
flat and we thought we would bat pretty well,” said Indian
spinner Ravi Ashwin, who seems to have had the role of team
spokesman foisted upon him.
“It’s a team game. If we have failed we have failed as a
unit.”
Nothing the Indians have done so far in the series had
suggested they can overhaul their target, especially as the test
record for a successful fourth innings run chase is the 418 West
Indies scored against Australia in Antigua in 2003.
That impression was compounded when a brilliant diving catch
from Brad Haddin off the bowling of Ryan Harris triggered Gautam
Gambhir’s departure for three with just 14 runs on the
scoreboard.
Sehwag, replacing the banned Mahendra Singh Dhoni as skipper
for this test, made deeper inroads into the target with some
fine, aggressive stroke-making in his 53-ball 62.
The 33-year-old’s contribution was undermined, however, by
the manner of his dismissal, playing a schoolboy shot to a Lyon
full toss and holing out to Ricky Ponting at cover.
MISERABLE SERIES
That brought Tendulkar to the wicket for his 25th attempt to
secure his 100th international century in a partnership of the
two most prolific test batsmen of all time with Dravid.
Dravid lasted until after tea before departing for 25 when
he drove at a Harris delivery and got a thick edge to Mike
Hussey at gully – at least avoiding the ignominy of having been
bowled for the seventh time in eight innings.
Tendulkar had made 13 off 34 balls when what is likely to be
his last test innings in Australia came to an end after he
attempted to fend off a Lyon delivery only for the ball to catch
his glove and pad and land in Ed Cowan’s hands at short leg.
Laxman, who has had a miserable series, had already been
dropped by Ponting on 25 when he hit a Lyon delivery straight to
Shaun Marsh at midwicket to end what could be his last test
innings for 35.
Kohli, who had scored his first test century on Thursday,
fell for 22 two overs from the end of the day when a direct hit
from Ben Hilfenhaus ran him out.
“Ben Hilfenhaus’s run out was pretty special and there’s a
good feeling in the dressing room right now,” Lyon added.
Resuming in the morning sun on 50-3 after losing their top
order on Thursday, Australia skipper Michael Clarke and Ponting,
who both hit double centuries in their first knocks, combined
for 71 runs before the skipper was caught behind off Umesh Yadav
for 37.
Ponting reached his 61st test half century soon afterwards
with a single to the covers and Hussey angrily followed his
captain back to the dressing room when he was adjudged lbw off a
Sharma delivery for 15.
Ponting was 60 not out alongside Brad Haddin (11 not out)
when Clarke decided the lead was big enough and waved the
batsmen in just three overs after lunch.